


Gifts from the Heart

by Oakenshield_Defender



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Erebor Never Fell, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, And Erebor is a few ways east of Rivendell, But his siblings are on to him, I completely mucked up the locations of Middle Earth here, Literally pure fluff with a mix of angst mixed into at the end, M/M, The Shire is right next to Rivendell, Thorin hides his emotions well, Young!Bilbo and Prince Thorin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:51:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26333662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oakenshield_Defender/pseuds/Oakenshield_Defender
Summary: During his travels from the Blue Mountains to Erebor, Prince Thorin of Erebor finds a lone hobbit child in the Shire, finding out goblins and orcs have killed the inhabitants there before he traveled through to Erebor. Thorin finds himself bonded to Bilbo as he grows up with his new family of dwarves in the Lonely Mountain.(This is in Thorin's POV, following him as he struggles to find a birthday present for Bilbo during his first year at Erebor, and continues from on then.)Gift fic oneshot made for my fabulous roleplay partner, Madi. <3 Keep on being amazing sweetie!
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield, mention of Balin/Dori
Kudos: 86





	Gifts from the Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MadiPat83](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadiPat83/gifts).



> This is very much an AU where Bilbo as a young hobbit child was hiding away in Bag End when Winter Fell happened (except it was orcs and goblins attacking instead of just hungry wolves), and only comes out to find his parents lying frozen in the snow. This is how Thorin finds him, and quickly takes care of the child to the best of his ability. Time flies by quick when you are a prince dwarf who helps a hobbit grow up to become a brilliant hobbit we all will come to love and know. :D
> 
> Thorin is very sneaky here, cause he low keys knows Bilbo is his One down along the line, but he won't do anything romantic wise until Bilbo is fully mature. :) He just doesn't like to admit that his siblings are right about their opinions. Haha. 
> 
> If anyone wants to know more about this plot, please let me know. :) I had a lot going on in my head when I wrote this. c: Sorry for any mistakes seen or is in the fic! I do not know any betas, so we die like men without a beta here!
> 
> Disclaimer: As always I don't own The Hobbit or any Tolkien related things! All I do is borrow the characters and use them to my entertainment!

The Crowned Prince of Erebor didn't feel stumped often, or even have any problems whatsoever on what he could gift his family and friends for the special occasion (whether it was a birthday or Durin's Day, he always knew what to get everyone he knew), but now that he had a small hobbit child in his life, he didn't know what would make a good birthday present for Bilbo.

The dwarf thought back on the last year he spent with Bilbo; the child clearly getting more and more used to his new dwarven family Thorin personally chose himself as his father had strictly stated that he wouldn't have enough time out of his duty to raise a child on his own, which bothered Thorin at first, but when Balin suggested a family he knew that consisted of three brothers living together(the eldest was Balin's One, so it didn't surprise Thorin in the least when Balin made the suggestion right off the bat), Thorin had to entrust them with Bilbo even if the hobbit child was particularly clingy whenever Thorin visited the 'Ri brothers home.

So when Bilbo's first birthday in Erebor came around, he was struggling to figure out what to give Bilbo, especially since Dori told him everything his brothers were going to give their newest brother as presents. Clothes, toys, puzzles, and a bow which was made by Elves. He wanted to give Bilbo something more meaningful yet lasting that would last for awhile. Thorin knew his young hobbit friend had plenty of clothes and toys, and Dori pretty much made sure Bilbo want for nothing while he was taught their secret language and learning side by side with Ori. 

Thorin once entertained the thought of giving Bilbo an exquisite tea set, but he already gifted Bilbo such already a few months back when he got back from the delegation in Rivendell. Bilbo always used the set whenever he kept him company for the few hours he had of free time during the days his father wasn't giving him lessons or sending him out for duties of the crown. He could clearly see how much Bilbo loved that tea set, so he had to think of something else to give other than a sack full of lavender tea along with a few selective treats Bilbo would certainly enjoy eating while they drank tea together.

So the burning question of what he should give Bilbo on his birthday bothered and kept Thorin awake at night until the day before Bilbo's birthday approached, for he was at the market place with Dwalin to scope out anything that would spark any ideas for him, blatantly ignoring his cousin's remark of Bilbo adoring anything the prince would give him as a gift. Thorin knew Bilbo would like any present he gave him, but he wanted his to be very... _memorable_ for Bilbo to have.

The dwarf prince browsed nearly every stall he could for any sort of gifts he could give Bilbo, but the Elvish stall that had an assortment of jewelry caught Thorin's attention, one particular piece had him asking about it immediately. The elf let him examine it, telling him that the necklace was made from elves of the first age; from the silver chain to the jeweled acorn and oak leaf that hung gracefully off it. Something about it called to Thorin, so he asked for the price and payed for it, despite Dwalin gawking about the price afterwards as Thorin thanked the merchant and left with a smile on his face.

"That was too much for a bloody necklace!" Dwalin grumbled out, following Thorin with a huff as his cousin laughed at his remark.

"It's well worth it, especially since I finally have a nice birthday present to give Bilbo..." Thorin hummed out, not at all put out when he could clearly hear his cousin mutter about him spoiling the hobbit with various gifts, seeing as how the hobbit had nearly all the royal family wrapped around his finger. 

Now all Thorin had to do was to wait till tomorrow to surprise his dear hobbit friend, humming contently now that his dilemma had been solved.

For the first time in over a week, Thorin was finally able to sleep well as soon as his head hit his pillow.

~*~

On Bilbo's birthday, Thorin was up at dawn, wanting to get all of his work done early so he could spend more time with Bilbo for the day. Though it took most of the morning to do what was asked of him, Thorin was feeling excited once he was dismissed for the day, even pulling his wily brother with him on his way towards the 'Ri house. "C'mon, Frerin. Quit mooning over the dames for one day and celebrate Bilbo's birthday with the rest of us!" Frerin had pouted of course, but was always eager to see the tiny creature that had caught Thorin's attention and affection. He did in fact try to win Bilbo's trust by telling every terrifying story of Thorin that he could when he visited, but the young hobbit wasn't so easily swayed at all by such tales, as Bilbo always defended Thorin one way or another, even going so far as to declare Thorin as his favorite dwarf in the world when he was asked one day when Frerin sneak out to visit him. 

He could count a few times where he had the rather wild idea that Thorin and Bilbo were soulmates with how...emotionally attached they were together, but each time he brushed it off as a hero worship young ones often have of whom they looked up to the most. 

Frerin was quite eager to see if that hero worship turned into something more as Bilbo got older, hoping his previous assumption of what was happening between his brother and the hobbit was true. 

After all, the small hobbit always made Thorin smile whenever he was around, which was a rarity in itself. His brother was usually as strict as their father was, but when Thorin came back with Bilbo in tow, it was like a whole new dwarf replaced his brother. 

The pair eventually reached the 'Ri's brothers home, which sounded like there was plenty going on inside when Nori answered the door. "Hello your majesties. Come on in! We just finished preparing the sitting room for the birthday boy, who is also in his room currently making birthday presents to gift us." Thorin only smiled at that while Frerin blinked in surprise; Nori offered no other explanation to the pair of royals, shuffling them into the foyer instead before disappearing to no doubt tell his brothers about their arrivals. 

~*~

Bilbo's first birthday with his new dwarven family and friends turned out to be perfect for the young hobbit, especially since the dwarves were all wearing the flowers crowns he made all by himself that day (Bilbo had to practically beg Dori to let him go to the market to pick out the flowers he wanted to have for his birthday, even if his brother was miffed about going towards the Elvish stalls to gather what Bilbo wished to have), and it was safe to say that the young hobbit was quite proud of how good the dwarves looked with their flower crowns, especially a certain dwarf prince.

Thorin for the most part took the flower crown in pride, even letting Bilbo braid a few flowers into his hair upon his request. The dwarf prince had to glare a few times over at his giggling brother, huffing that he looked much better with flowers in his hair than Frerin did anyway, which earned him a sour look from his brother. 

There was many presents for the faunt to open, all of which Bilbo was all to happy to pry into (new clothes, toys, pretty baubles, and books that were in common) but Bilbo's most favorite present was the necklace Thorin had given him; a silver chain (which Thorin made a mental note to make a mithril one for him down the line) with a polished ember etched as an acorn dangling from it. It was a bit big for the hobbit child, but once Thorin had secured it around his neck, Bilbo wouldn't let it come off for nothing else in the world. 

~*~

The years passed by fairly quickly for everyone in Erebor, but Bilbo's birthdays always were consistent with the brothers 'Ri and the two princes of Erebor (with Dis occasionally tagging along, though she was more into her studies and craft than most dwarrowdams her age, always throwing him grand birthday parties that had the young hobbit cherishing every gift his dwarves gave him. 

They even took him on a few rare trips back to where the Shire was all but still too eerily silent in the wake of the goblin attack back when Thorin first found Bilbo struggling to wake his deceased parents up. The land was now being cultivated by the elves of Rivendell, ever keeping it veiled with their magic from any other forces. (Thorin still thought that was completely useless now, still ever frigid and harsh against Elrond and his elk for ever letting the Shire become a terrible bloodbath for the innocent beings that once lived there.) Bilbo found a few fast friends in Elrond and his kin, learning pranks and tricks from the twin brothers all the while begging Elrond to teach him Sindarin, which had Thorin bite back the sudden jealousy burning through him when he learned of it. Bilbo seemed to read Thorin’s mood afterward, immediately climbing himself up into Thorin’s lap, hugging then petting his beard soothingly. “It’s okay, Thorin! I rather talk like a dwarf than an elf!” The child giggled and patted Thorin’s cheek with a grin. “Elves sound pretty, but dwarves sound better!” Thorin calmed down after such an admission, a smile tugging at his face as he assured Bilbo he was more than fine with him learning Sindarin, missing the look of wonder Elrond gave the pair.

The next birthday was frightening, for while Bilbo had wanted to spend a few days in the Shire once more, one night wolves had preyed upon them after they had made camp for the night, circling the group of dwarves and hobbit with growls and snarls filling the chilly air. The group easily dispatched the threat, with only Thorin and Dwalin taking a few cuts and scrapes from the scuffle with the beasts. Bilbo had thrown rocks at the wolves whenever they gotten too close to the group, and was praised for such a courageous act of bravery, earning him the nickname, 'little wolf' much to Bilbo's surprise and disappointment. It was only after he wanted to help bandage Thorin and Dwalin's cuts that he heard fondly call him _'My little wolf'_ , which he turned to Thorin with the biggest smile ever and replied, "If I'm a wolf, then you must be a lion! Ori read a story to me about lions being loyal and scary! Though you aren't scary to me, you can scare anyone else away by roaring!" The dwarves around Thorin and Bilbo laughed at that, making the prince roll his eyes at that; but easily accepting the teasing remarks and snickers from the others as he taught Bilbo how to properly say such a word in Khuzdul: " ** _Ibrizbunt_**." 

It was safe to say that Dori didn't let Bilbo out of the house for awhile after hearing that tale.

But Thorin would never fail to spend all day with the young hobbit for his birthday, treating one another to lavender tea and the sweet lemon cake Bilbo had found in his mother's recipe book that quickly became a favorite dessert between the two. Once he learned in secret that Nori was going behind Dori's back to teach Bilbo how to throw sharp objects (Nori swore he always made sure Bilbo didn't hurt himself, often telling only Thorin of how well Bilbo was doing during his practices with the thief, whom grinned as soon as he found out about Thorin's next gift for Bilbo's birthday), he made the young hobbit a set of finely made knives just his size on his 25th birthday. It was the second of Thorin's creations that made Thorin fully realize his true craft, and went on later to secretly make the little hobbit a short sword that he'd give him once he was an adult (He wished to avoid Dori giving him hell for arming his youngest brother after all), and also made beads for him. The young hobbit already had two braids in his curls so far, one declaring him a dwarf friend, and the other a family braid of the Ri's, which marked him a brother to them. 

Thorin thought it was a foolish notion to wish for Bilbo to have the line of Durin braid, but as he watched the hobbit grow into a beautiful, more mature person, he often wanted to ask Bilbo on his birthday about it once he got to his maturity, but was highly doubtful the young hobbit would even consider him as something more than a friend. He had already been grilled by his younger brother and sister over him being so enamored with Bilbo, but he merely waved that thought away; of course he loved Bilbo, there was no doubt about it. Who wouldn't love such a bright presence that lit up the whole room every time the hobbit was around?

Though the conversation was a thing of the past, Thorin was all but consumed to think about the idea of Bilbo being his One. Was it even possible? He idly rubbed his chest where his heart was thumping steadily; the skin there was itching a lot more over the years that he spent watching Bilbo grow up, the form of a soul-mark steadily etching into his chest that he dare to tell no one about. 

Well, maybe he could show Bilbo one day, but it would definitely be after he reached his majority. He didn't wish to be assuming at all, and what if the hobbit was much more interested in someone else that was much more...attentive and handsome than he was. Thorin was fairly attractive in Dwarven standards, but he wasn't so sure about Hobbit standards...

So he gently placed the courting beads he made for his potential mate, hiding them in his nightstand so no one else would ever find them. 

~*~

Thorin wasn't there the day of Bilbo's 33rd birthday, as his grandfather (who was surely by now descending into gold- madness) was leading half of Erebor's army towards Moria two months before the celebration, which made both Thorin and Bilbo miserable for knowing how long they would be apart (and the chance Thorin wasn't coming back at all, which Bilbo made the dwarf prince promise he'd come back), so Thorin had made a special visit to the Ri brothers the night before he along with his brother would march with their grandfather to war. 

The Ri brothers gave their prince a formal bow and wished him and their kin the best of luck on their journey, giving Thorin farewell headbutts before they left him alone with Bilbo, whom looked like he had cried for hours. The pair were silent for a moment, which Thorin felt his nervousness increase until he finally got his present out from behind him, holding it out to the surprised hobbit. "Happy Birthday, Bilbo. For I won't be here when your birthday passes in a few months, so I wanted you to have your present from me now..." The package was neatly wrapped, but slightly bulky as the hobbit took the gift from the dwarf with shaking hands. "Thorin, you didn't have to..." Bilbo wanted to argue that they could have waited to celebrate his birthday when the dwarf prince came back from battle, but Thorin shook his head and came closer to the hobbit, wrapping an arm around his shoulder to pull him close enough to press their foreheads gently as he nuzzled their noses together with a smile. 

"Let me have this moment, Kidhuzurâl. It's the last pleasant memory I wish to have to think about while I make my journey west." Thorin murmured softly, drinking in the sight of the lovely grown hobbit Bilbo had become now. How he could still remember the first day he found Bilbo, such a tiny child that was sick and lost without his kin or family...Now grown into a beautiful, brilliant hobbit who had family, plenty of friends, and most importantly, Thorin's heart in his hands. 

"I don't want you to go..." Bilbo whispered, temporarily forgetting the gift as he wrapped himself around Thorin, making the dwarf's heart break that much more as he returned the hug with his vision beginning to blur. "I don't want to go either, trust me. It hurts to know I will be so far away from you, Bilbo. But promise me you'll stay safe for me? I want you to be the first face I see when I come back, you hear me?" All Thorin could hear was a muffled response in his fur coat, lightly pressing a kiss to the top of Bilbo's head. 

"Come now, let me see your reaction to the gift I have gotten you..." Thorin mumbled out, reluctantly pulling away from Bilbo as he gave him an encouraging smile. "Then afterwards we'll have tea time, and then...I can stay till you go to sleep, if that is alright with you?" He had left after he knew his armor was polished and ready to go, firmly ignoring the pointed looks his siblings gave him as he sneaked out of the royal rings to come to the Ri's home. No doubt would hear Frerin give him a run down of how to seduce Bilbo while they were on the road, since both Frerin and Dis firmly believed Bilbo was the other half of his soul. 

Bilbo sniffled a bit, then released his tight grip on Thorin as he reached for the forgotten present and sat down with it on his lap, gently tugging the ribbons that held the package together before it came undone, making the hobbit gasp as he held up what Thorin dearly hoped the hobbit would love. It was a fur lined coat that looked _exactly_ the same as Thorin's own coat he wore on occasion (the one Bilbo would steal constantly without Thorin knowing until he came to visit one day to see the hobbit parading around the markets in it. Of course Bilbo apologized profusely for it, but Thorin wasn't having any of that; he only wished for Bilbo to leave him a note the next time he wished to have his coat), except it had a wolf shaped head sewn into the back of the cloak.

"I figured you would like a new coat, since my own will be going along with me in my travels soon. Do you like it, dearest Bilbo?" The dwarf prince murmured, letting out a breath of relief at the way the hobbit suddenly launched himself into the dwarf's arms with the coat crushed in between them, a litany of gratitude spilling from Bilbo as the dwarf held him tight. They stayed in that position for awhile, the dwarf prince resisting the urge to place a kiss in those wild curls brushing under his nose until Bilbo pulled away once again to grin happily up at Thorin. "Thank you, Thorin. I'll wear it everyday until you come back!" The hobbit tried it on, making Thorin preen with pride that Dori agreed to make it for him after he came to him one day while he was having tea with Balin (he still didn't know why they thought it was a secret they were courting when they have been together for years now) with a sketch of what he wished to have on a very personal coat that would last just as long as the acorn necklace that Bilbo still wore to this day.

The oldest Ri brother then had _'the talk'_ with him, which left Thorin both flustered and grateful. Flustered because he wasn't _so_ sure that Bilbo would eventually accept his beads, but on the other hand grateful that Bilbo had such caring, protective people in his life that would do anything for him. His promise of never causing Bilbo any pain and to keep him happy seemed to appease Dori, who only nodded and then politely pressed the prince into leaving so he could use his extra free time with Balin to speak over important matters, which in Thorin's mind was just another way of saying they wanted more alone time to snog, but he wasn't going to interrupt that anytime soon.

Plus, he had a certain hobbit in mind, so it didn't matter to him what the king's advisor did in his spare time.

Seeing Bilbo beam with pride as he walked around in his new fur coat had Thorin shake his head from any other thoughts of Balin and Dori to enjoy the sight before him; Bilbo was clearly loving how well the fur coat fit him, already claiming Fili and Kili would be very jealous of him once they saw it (And they indeed would be pouting and belly aching about it until their mother boxed them in the ears for it), all the while swirling around in front of a full length mirror, still smiling brightly as he twirled around to face Thorin. "Best early birthday present ever! Oh! What's this?" Bilbo hummed out, finally finding the last present Thorin could give him before he went to war. "That, my dear Hobbit, is something you should only open on your birthday when it comes around." Thorin smiled at the other, taking a few steps to stand in front of Bilbo to take the hand holding the white envelope with his name written one it, feeling his heart thundering in his chest as he gazed into the blue-green eyes that always stole his breath away. "It's...my final gift to you. Something that you should think about while I'm gone, Bilbo. For you mean so much to me, and have been such a wonderful friend to me. It feels like yesterday when I first saw you all those years ago when you were just a child... But you have grown into such an accomplished, esteemed, yet a bit sassy hobbit." Oh, how he wanted to ad much more to that, but the look of satisfaction in the hobbit's eyes was enough to make Thorin ignore his own personal feelings to pull him into yet another embrace, soaking up this moment as much as he could as he whispered, "You'll always be in my heart, Bilbo. Please remember that. You are the reason why I smile so much everyday and have taught me not to judge the elves so harshly, even if they deserve it, the leaf-eaters." It earned him a wet laugh and playful hit against his shoulder, which was on par with what Bilbo usually gave him whenever they discussed Elves together.

"I'll miss you, Thorin. I really want to know what you have written to me, but I will wait until the morning of my birthday." It was as good as a promise as Bilbo was going to give him, so Thorin accepted it by pulling back slightly to nuzzle their noses together affectionately, as it was the hobbit tradition of comforting one another when one was sad or distressed.

"When I return I demand we have lavender and tea, Master Burglar." Yet another endearment; one that Bilbo despised, but only smiled brightly whenever Thorin referred to him as such whenever his shirts or coats went missing from his wardrobe.

"You got a deal, your majesty." Bilbo teased, laughing at the glare Thorin gave him, wiggling away out of his embrace just in time for him to start chasing him, an all too knowing game between them as the dwarf would usually tickle the hobbit into submission until he apologize for such impudent words! "Get back here, thief! You shall not call me such! You promised!"

~*~

The day Thorin stayed with Bilbo for the night seemed like forever ago weeks later after that night, struggling to reason with his grandfather as the army got ever closer to Moria. Frerin still gave him hell about finding his One, but took glee in the fact that Thorin _blushed_ of all things whenever he talked about the hobbit. It was an easy way to pass time until they got towards the doomed mountain, so teasing his older about his non-existent love relationship was about the only thing keeping the both of them sane during the days and weeks on the road to their destination.

One month into their travels to the west, Thorin had to keep himself from scratching at his chest that terribly itched underneath his armor and clothes, making both Balin and Frerin glance often towards him as he rubbed the spot continuously until the itch was down to the minimum where he could easily ignore it if he could. Thorin had to check on his soul mark when he could, since the outline of it was slowly completing itself in thin black lines that had the dwarf tracing them whenever he had the chance to when he bathed. He already had an idea of what it would be, but kept it to himself as he knew that if Dwalin or anyone else found out about it, then they would immediately know as well.

When Bilbo's birthday came around, the party was just a few days away from Moria, and the king luckily ordered everyone to rest for the day before they marched upon their enemies doorstep. Thorin and his brother took to the stream most of the army was making use of for the day, going upstream just a bit further away for a bit more privacy, sheding their armor and leather to have a bit of free time to wash themselves. Though as soon as Thorin was shirtless, Frerin gasped in delight, biting down on his lower lip from yelling in excitement as he poked Thorin square on his chest- where the head of a wolf was marked upon the skin there with the initials 'BB' engraved underneath it. "Brother! You finally have one! I was right all along! It's Bilbo, isn't it? I won the bet against Dwalin! He owes me so much now, this is wonderful!" Frerin threw his arms around Thorin, who was about to rebuke the other for saying the words out loud, but had to catch his balance before both of them ended up in the stream together.

"Thank you, Frerin. But keep this under wraps, you hear me? I haven't told...Bilbo directly yet about this." Thorin murmured out lowly, as if that would stop his brother from giving him a look of disbelief. "Don't tell me you never explained soulmarks to Bilbo...You didn't did you? Thorin! You utter blockhead!" Frerin made the move to hit Thorin for his stupidity, but instead the other dark haired dwarf dodged and moved away to remove the rest of his clothes. "Dori and Nori both assured me that they would give Bilbo a lesson in soulmarks, so I never brought the subject up between us. However," Thorin sighed, glaring over towards the shrubbery where he could hear Dwalin and Balin attempting to hide from him, "And yes, you two can come out to give me a scolding _after_ I have explained myself!"

The Fundin brothers didn't look apologetic at all in getting caught listening in to their conversation as they joined the Durin brothers in the stream, the three of them obviously waiting for Thorin to go on with his explanation. "Fine. I left Bilbo a...letter confessing about how I know he's my soulmate, but I want to have a choice in the matter of whether he wants and old goat like me or not. I won't force him to stay by my side if he wishes to have another that would make him happy." His three companions rolled their eyes; they knew the sole resident Hobbit was all for Thorin, but it they didn't put it past Thorin to be a sacrificial bastard and deny himself happiness if it meant Bilbo could be happy. "Thorin lad, I've watched you and Bilbo over the years, and while having a hobbit consort will be slightly unconventional at first for our people, they will not deny you having your One by your side. Bilbo has always admired you Thorin, never chose any other suitor that came along to attempt to charm him. No doubt he has his heart set on you." Balin explained with a hint of exasperation in his tone; Thorin looked down at the remark, idly tracing the eye of the wolf as he smiled sadly, letting his gaze rest on his companions with conviction blazing bright in his eyes.

"If we win this battle, then I swear by our Maker that I will fully confess to Bilbo once we go back to Erebor. He deserves that much from me, even if he wishes to choose another." The other three groaned, but they took that as a promise as they washed themselves in contemplative silence, and if they glanced over to see Thorin caress his soulmark often, then they didn't bother to say anything.

~*~

Far into the East, where a certain hobbit was examining the new mark he bore on his chest on the morning of his birthday, fresh tears of joy coming down his cheeks as he laughed to himself softly, tracing the lion face with reverence. His brothers told him all about soulmarks the other day, and he had prayed that he would get one, not only because he didn't know if hobbits were the same as dwarves, but because he really felt attached to Thorin. The dwarf prince had always been his best friend while he was growing up, always proud of everything he did (even stealing his things on occasion), but most of all he kept his promise to be there for him always. Bilbo didn't know why, but it seemed oddly fitting that the initials 'TO' were just beneath the lion's head, wondering what last name Thorin had.

Later that day, he remembered the letter Thorin gave him two months ago, and read it after celebrating his birthday with his brothers.

Bilbo laughed and cried as he read the letter, curling up into his new fur coat on his bed as he read the letter over and over again, wishing more than ever that he could just make Thorin appear so he could assure the dwarf that yes, he did want him, and no, there was no one else that ever had Bilbo's affections except for the new pony Frerin had gifted him for his birthday last year; he was sorely tempted to hop on Myrtle and chase down the dwarves right now just to have a chance to spend some time with Thorin.

He would wait. After all, he could get started on writing a book, providing he now had an idea of what he wanted his book to be about while he fondly rubbed at his soulmark with a smile as he kept reading the last line of Thorin's letter over and over again.

' ** _My heart is yours, Bilbo. For as long as stars do shine._** '

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Author's Note:**

> Khuzdul:  
> Ibrizbunt- Sun-cat (Closest to lion as one can get in Khuzdul)  
> Kidhuzurâl- Golden one
> 
> Thorin was Bilbo's first crush btw. But Thorin is an oblivious idiot and only Ori knew about it, cause Ori and Bilbo totes share secrets with one another. <3
> 
> My head canon for this is that Soul Marks only appear when both parties are mature enough to have one, hence why his appeared when Bilbo's 33rd birthday (when Hobbit's are considered adults). Thror is getting gold sickness when they leave to reclaim Moria, so it explains why he is leading half the army of Erebor towards their doom. :( I also believe that Bilbo would totally make Thorin confess his feelings out loud once he returned from the battle, then take care of his nasty wounds and smother him in love afterwards. :)
> 
> Extra thanks goes to The Dwarrow Scholar, who is very amazing with their work with the Dwarven Language! :D


End file.
